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Dare I say that the Suzuki Swift is fast becoming ‘the people’s car’ in Mzansi. Well, the sales figures of the past few months and in particular October 24, bears testimony to that. Hot off the back of its local media launch in a sunny Cape Town earlier in November, Suzuki Auto South Africa is proud to announce the new fourth-generation Swift has won the 2025 Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference of Japan (RJC) Car of The Year award. Now that is saying something.
This is the fourth time Suzuki’s popular B-segment hatchback has walked away with overall honours at this annual competition since the vehicle’s market debut in 2004. Twenty years later approximately 9.54 million units (including Dzire sedan models) have been sold to customers around the world.
Car of the Year!
This year’s RJC Car of The Year was selected from a pool of Japanese vehicles launched between 1st November 2023 and 31st October 2024. A panel of 40 jury members – automotive researchers and journalists – whittled this down to the ‘Six Best’ contenders on 1st November 2024 with the 2025 RJC Car of The Year decided on 12th November. Other categories included Import Car of The Year and Technology of The Year.
The RJC jury praised the fourth-generation Swift for its stylish exterior design, advanced 1.2l three-cylinder powertrain and stellar driving dynamics made possible by the vehicle’s recalibrated suspension and lightweight but rigid ‘HEARTECT’ platform. Also worth noting is that all new fourth-generation Swift models come standard with best-in-class safety features such as six airbags, ESP, ABS, EBD, BAS and ISOFIX points.
Home Talk
Closer to home, Suzuki Auto South Africa hopes the fourth-generation Swift continues its winning ways at it vies for category honours in the 2025 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards: South Africa’s most authoritative motoring awards programme that annually recognises the best purchasing propositions in 13 respective segments of the local new-vehicle market. The Swift 1.2 GLX was in October chosen as one of three finalists in the Best Budget Car (under R300k) category, with the winner to be announced in February 2025.
“The fourth-generation Swift is shaking things up in the hotly contested B-segment,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.
“Its recent victory in the 2025 RJC Car of The Year competition bears testament to this fact and as such we can’t wait to see how the new Swift shapes at the 2025 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards. Hopefully our local judges are similarly impressed with what it offers.”
